Parish Bulletin – Holy Pentecost, 2013

Kneeling Vespers of Pentecost

The liturgical peculiarity of Pentecost is a very special Vespers of the day itself. Usually this service follows immediately the Divine Liturgy, is “added” to it as its own fulfillment. The service begins as a solemn “summing up” of the entire celebration, as its liturgical synthesis. We hold flowers in our hands symbolizing the joy of the eternal spring, inaugurated by the coming of the Holy Spirit. After the festal Entrance, this joy reaches its climax in the singing of the Great Prokeimenon:

“Who is so great a God as our God?”

Then, having reached this climax, we are invited to kneel. This is our first kneeling since Pascha. It signifies that after these fifty days of Paschal joy and fulness, of experiencing the Kingdom of God, the Church now is about to begin her pilgrimage through time and history. It is evening again, and the night approaches, during which temptations and failures await us, when, more than anything else, we need Divine help, that presence and power of the Holy Spirit, who has already revealed to us the joyful End, who now will help us in our effort towards fulfillment and salvation.

All this is revealed in the three prayers which the celebrant reads now as we all kneel and listen to him. In the first prayer, we bring to God our repentance, our increased appeal for forgiveness of sins, the first condition for entering into the Kingdom of God.

In the second prayer, we ask the Holy Spirit to help us, to teach us to pray and to follow the true path in the dark and difficult night of our earthly existence. Finally, in the third prayer, we remember all those who have achieved their earthly journey, but who are united with us in the eternal God of Love.

The joy of Pascha has been completed and we again have to wait for the dawn of the Eternal Day. Yet, knowing our weakness, humbling ourselves by kneeling, we also know the joy and the power of the Holy Spirit who has come. We know that God is with us, that in Him is our victory.

Thus is completed the feast of Pentecost and we enter “the ordinary time” of the year. Yet, every Sunday now will be called “after Pentecost”—and this means that it is from the power and light of these fifty days that we shall receive our own power, the Divine help in our daily struggle. At Pentecost we decorate our churches with flowers and green branches—for the Church “never grows old, but is always young.” It is an evergreen, ever-living Tree of grace and life, of joy and comfort. For the Holy Spirit—“the Treasury of Blessings and Giver of Life—comes and abides in us, and cleanses us from all impurity,” and fills our life with meaning, love, faith and hope.

– Fr. Alexander Schmemann

When Others Speak Evil of Us

Our good name is very important for us in life.  “A good name is rather to be chosen than great riches”, says the wise Solomon (Prov. 22:1). So what should we do when other people deprive us of our good name?

1. First of all, no matter how bad and how injurious the evil talk spread about us may be, we must guard ourselves from anger, verbal abuse, and revenge, but remain as placid as possible in spirit, because we all must be of one spirit with Christ, and Christ, in the face of all accusations, remained in a placid, not in the least bit vengeful, spirit.  Christ, “when he was reviled, reviled not again…”, the holy Apostle Peter says (1 Pet. 2:23).
2. When you hear that others are speaking badly of you and ascribing to you vices of various sorts, bad intentions, and so forth, then immediately subject yourself to the strictest examination to see whether the vices they ascribe to you are really there….  Examine yourself very closely:  don’t those vices actually lurk within you, if only to a small degree?  Isn’t there pride, falsehood, and so on?  Other people’s eyes often see our conduct much better and more reliably than our own do, because every person has a certain amount of pride, and pride always conceals us from ourselves. Thus, we can rarely see ourselves accurately…  If impartial examination of yourself shows you that others reproach you even the least bit justly, then quickly offer repentance, fervently pray to the Lord God to deliver you from that vice, try zealously to correct yourself of it, and then everywhere show the utmost sincere friendly disposition and gratitude towards the one who spoke evil of you, regardless of his intentions, because without his reproach you perhaps would never have seen your vices.
3. If, after the most attentive, impartial examination of yourself, you find that the vices ascribed to you do not exist, you may legitimately defend yourself and refute the slander leveled at you, but only when finding this necessary, not because of your self-love or pride but because of your position.  But defend yourself calmly, without anger or indignation.  Jesus Christ Himself acted thus…
4. If you see that defending yourself will not do you any good, then:

• Try to bear the slander leveled at you with patience, and console yourself with the thought:  “God sees my innocence… He will declare my innocence at the Dread Judgment at least.”
• Console yourself even more with the thought of how our Lord endured everything with equanimity, and never justified Himself in any court.
• Double your efforts to conduct yourself as irreproachably as possible in all circumstances of your life.
• If the evil talk spread about you does not cease, or even multiplies, then resort to nothing but fervent prayer that the Lord God may have the kindness to enlighten and correct your slanderers.  Act this way because Jesus Christ Himself acted this way even with his executioners. (Lk.23:34).

– Metr. Gregory of St. Petersburg (d. 1860):  “How to Live a Holy Life”